Sunday, July 23, 2006

Isn't This Where Dave Chappelle is From?

Living in Downtown Cincinnati has its benefits. Culture, close proximity to public transit, breath taking river views and amazing restaurants all contribute to the allure of Cincinnati urban living. Despite all the wonders of the city, sometimes taking in a slower pace of life and experiencing nature can be quite refreshing.

Last week, a friend of mine who works as an architect (The Architect) turned 40 years old. To celebrate, he booked every room at The Springs Motel in Yellow Springs, OH and invited a few of his friends to join him so thats just what I did.

Yellow Springs is 65 miles north of Cincinnati and serves as a weekend get-away for a number of Cincinnatians. Yellow Springs is home to Antioch College and is a small town with a population of about 4,000. The city is named for the curative spring water that are found through out Glen Helen Nature Reserve which you can experience through several different nature hikes.

While visiting the small, but busy downtown, make sure that you start your day with brunch at the Sunrise Cafe. The wait for a table is not the best (about an hour for us on Sunday morning) but the pesto-tomato omelet, home-style potatoes and wheat bread (made fresh daily in house) are all worth the wait.

After brunch, meander your way through the downtown areas where you may have to dodge a few shoe-less teenage skate boarders and middle aged bikers while you travel from shop to shop. Antiques, hand crafts, nature inspired furniture are all store choices and, on a warm summer Sunday afternoon, have no problem in finding patrons to partake in their wares.

DarkStar Books & Comics is a definite stop if you are an avid book collector/reader (so you know that was one of the first stops for me). Eventhough the store is filled from floor to ceiling with shelves of books (arranged both by subject and author) it's specialty, by far, are comic books.

If clothes are what you are looking for, I suggest a stop in at Basho, a custom apparel boutique. If you give them about 24 hours, they will design an article for you.

In between shops, if you feel the need for a mid afternoon snack, Crepes, a small tented crepe stand smack dab in the middle of downtown, will ease your cravings. I would suggest the veggie crepe with egg, but they also have more traditional crepes like Nutella and bananas.

After you have had your fill of shopping, head to Peaches, where you can get a plethora of fried appetizer.